Volunteer
by daiyna.x
Summary: Young Zelda has decided to do some volunteer work at the hospital in Delfino, when one day a certain young man is dragged in all the way from his hometown of Crimea. Can she put up with him?
1. Chapter 1

When my mother and father died, I learned how to care for myself. After much time of mourning my losses, I finally learned that I could find true happiness by caring for the living creatures around me and help them to overcome their troubles. My nanny —Impa, if you will-- decided that I could find that true happiness at the little hospital in Delfino. Therefore, I volunteered.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself, my name is Zelda, I am sixteen years old, I was captured not so long ago by the dark lord Ganondorf and was rescued by the hero of time Link and soon after that my nanny told me to work for the hospital to love and care for people, but unfortunately, they do not let me care for anyone.

I am a paperwork monkey.

Now, Delfino is a place swimming with injuries, just because of the fellow smashers, I see people with all from broken bones to missing limbs every day. It makes me sad when they come in and I cannot help. All I do is take blood down to the lab, copy their paperwork, put it in their file, duplicate it, and then deliver their release sheet to the front desk. That seems to be all that I can do without their precious "experience."

I was making release packets, that one interesting day. I was at my little lonesome desk and it was the first time I had seen such a violent patient…

"PUT ME DOWN!" He screamed kicking his legs into the large man's shoulders. This man, who was obviously this boy's father due to the great resemblance, had his son swung over his left shoulder, and was doing great means to keep him there.

I could not help but stare at the two as they walked down the corridor, I then noticed the little girl (who also had a great resemblance to the young man) was doing her best to keep an old rag wrapped tightly around her brother's leg.

"Sis, I'm seventeen," he muttered, "I can do that by myself. I'm gonna be a mercenary in a year or two, I should be able to take care of my own 'battle scars'…"

"Not if you insist on looking like you're seven, instead of seventeen," she protested.

_Seventeen?_ I questioned as I watched him give his father a good jab in the shoulder again with his good leg, before he finally surrendered.

"Look," the little girl cooed, "Ike, you've got an audience."

_I've been caught! _I thought to myself. I quickly found myself concentrating deeply on paper clipping a booklet about painkillers onto one of the packets. Of course, me being the clutz that I am, while trying to paper clip the whole packet together, it buckled and spewed its contents onto the floor.

After picking up the remains of the packet up, I thought it was safe to finally look up.

_Wrong._

The group was signing in at the front desk. Usually, that was a safe time to look up, but not this particular time, oh no, defiantly not now when I didn't feel like being stared at.

He was still swung over his father's shoulder, so that meant he was facing me. The one time I did not want to be right!

Yup. He was facing me.

I felt my cheeks get hot, and I gained the courage to look up at this 'Ike.'

When I did, I regretted it—at least I did at the time.

At first, I had only seen hair; spiky, cobalt blue hair. The cobalt blue head slid up to meet my gaze. Then, those sapphire eyes met mine. The eyes and hair did not have much contrast between each other, but there was a deep contrast between them and his skin. He was very pale, I wasn't sure then if that was how he had always looked, or if that was because he had lost so much blood.

I felt that I should run, because he had just caught me staring at him _again_. He smiled, a crooked grin that felt very friendly and warm to me. I didn't really want to run after that. He made me feel like we were already good friends…

Then he winked at me.

After he did that, I made my choice to check the clock. Regardless, I was going to leave anyway for lunch, but I thought it would look a little funny going to lunch around 10:00. I prayed it was around noon.

11:54. _Close enough_. I thought to myself. I rushed as quickly as I could to get to the elevator and away from that empty desk, which seemed so much like a cage now.

I pushed the down arrow as hard as I could, and luckily for me, there was no wait for the doors to slide open. I pushed the "B" button repeatedly. I muttered "basement" many times to myself when, finally, the doors did slide shut.

I watched that smirk fall off Ike's face as the doors quietly sealed themselves.

I felt claustrophobic when the doors finally opened. I didn't like to see the few patients I did see be unhappy, especially if I was the one who caused it. Guilt consumed me.

I wasn't _too_ fond of guilt either.

When I got my lunch from the cafeteria, usually, I felt much better. Not today.

I was the only volunteer that actually ate the salads the hospital had to offer. They were quite good actually, they had every vegetable under the sun, and they were one of the best things about this dismal place.

I opened the door to the outside of this place. I looked around, there were a few benches for the patients—even though they weren't allowed back here, asphalt, cars, more asphalt, and a tiny, tiny patch of grass with a tree in the center. That was where I ate my lunch, every day.

I could also see every patient's room on the left side of the hospital from here.

_I wonder what room he's in…_ I found myself thinking.

_Maybe he's in that one. _I looked up on the third floor to see the blinds shut, and the light of the television flickering against the curtains.

_...Or that one...? _I glanced at the window on the first floor with a nurse straitening the sheets on an empty bed.

_Then, on the other hand,…_ I looked at one of the windows of the second floor and saw a doctor fly up against it.

"That one?" I suggested to myself, as I watched Dr. Mario shake his head and put something in his pocket.

I giggled when the teenager threw himself against the window in attempt to free himself from one of the kindest doctors we had here.

He looked down to measure the drop, I guess –those windows were sealed anyway, he wasn't going to get out—when he spotted me.

"Hi!" he mouthed, wildly waving a hand at me.

I stifled a giggle, when I noticed there were actually two reasons why Dr. Mario appeared to not like Ike that much…

One was that he refused to take his meds, I couldn't help but notice the syringe in the doctor's hand. Moreover, the second, unbelievably, took me longer to figure out than the doctor trying to sneak up. Ike refused to wear the clothes given to him.

I silently thanked him in my head because he was still wearing his pants.

I pointed fast enough at Dr. Mario for Ike to jump out of his way.

_There must be a mess of blood all over the place up there…_ I thought as the doctor finally caught him and stuck the needle in the teenager's arm.

I watched the curtains slide shut –thinking I was hearing some muffled swear words, as I laughed quietly to myself.

"Hey Zela," Dr Mario smiled at me as I walked up to him in the elevator. He always called me 'Zela' and never 'Zelda'.

"Hello, Dr. Mario," I answered walking in, "having a good day?"

"Yes, yes, a very good day," he was lying and I knew it, but Dr. Mario never worried his patients, friends, or family about his life/annoying patient.

"That's good," I answered.

The doors opened on the second floor and I looked around, half expecting him to get off.

"Zela, while we're here," he asked, smiling, "could you get some water for the patient in 217? I gave him some medication about half an hour ago and he's probably thirsty."

"Sure thing!" I answered getting off the elevator, "bye!"

I absolutely loved doing that job. When you give patients water, they usually want to talk to you, and that makes them feel more comfortable in the position they're in.

I entered the cold room where the ice machine, pitchers, cups, and sink were kept. Each pitcher had a room number and the last name of the patient on it.

"217…"I muttered, scanning through the pitchers with several differing numbers, "where are you 217?"

"219…213…" I noted looking through them, "217 Fair, found it!" I smiled to myself at my accomplishment. I quickly filled it with ice and water and I skipped down to room 217.

When I got there, I quickly checked the notes on the door to see if this patient had no liquid restrictions. The following note surprised me:

**No visitors allowed unless emergency. **

I knew what that meant, I wasn't allowed to go inside. Then again, why was the doctor asking me to come…alone…without an adult…, It all added up when I saw the name.

**Faire, Ike**

Were the nurses trying to play matchmaker again?!

"Ike Faire," I muttered shaking my head.

"Yeah?"

Right then, I knew I shouldn't have said anything.

"H-hi," I said as I walked in, setting the pitcher of water on the closest table.

"Oh, hi!" He grinned.

When he grinned, I grimaced.

"What's wrong?" he asked innocently.

"What…did…you…do?" I accused.

"Nothing, nothing…I just…agreed…to…pay…"He fumbled along with his words.

"Ike!"

"What?"

"That's illegal and…what are you doing?"

He was staring at the blank wall ahead of him, really, there wasn't much there, just the television—and that was off.

"I'm reading my rights as a patient…There isn't much about what I _can't _do… It says I have the right to see a quality staff and those that should be able to grant my needs…"

I saw the useless paper in it's frame directly across from him. Yes, those rights were there but nobody has taken them seriously before. _Wow,_ I thought, _he's serious! Is he crazy or something?_

"…And guess what _Zela_…I'm bored," He smiled a crooked grin that made him seem like he was completely innocent. Even though he's _not_!


	2. Chapter 2

_Zela_, I thought to myself, _definitely Dr. Mario's doing_.

"How much?" I asked raising an eyebrow. He must've known what I was implying, but he sure did know how to _look_ innocent when he wanted to.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You know exactly what I mean! You said you paid off the doctor… how much?" I put my hands on my hips, it's usually what I did when I wanted to look serious, I wasn't sure if I did now because Ike was laughing so hard, the bed shook.

"Actually," he said in a matter-of-factly tone, "it was only 300 nothing much."

I wasn't sure to be offended, happy, or confused. So, I just smiled at his effort.

"So now what? I'm still bored," he squirmed around on the bed before giving up, "These restraints are killer! Do a guy a favor, please?"

"They restrained you? How?" I looked over the bed searching for their usual arm restraints; obviously, they didn't use those for him. He didn't seem like he would be the type to be restrained, but, then again…

I had a sudden flashback of Dr. Mario's face smearing against the window, I sighed, and they'd probably make me clean that up during Ike's shower-time.

"Yes, they restrained me!" He made a show of kicking the blankets that covered the bed off him.

I covered my eyes with my hands, by habit. He let out a suppressed sigh as he forced my hands away from my eyes. He gestured with a snap of his arm that in fact, he was still wearing the pants he came in with.

"Like I knew!" I moaned, observing the Red belts wrapped around his stomach. "Oh, that's an easy fix," I giggled twisting the crimson colored fabric in many directions, "I've always known how to get out of these things, It's a good thing to know."

"May I ask how?" he said, holding in laughter, "were you in a mental hospital or something?"

"No!" I yelped.

"Are you from around here?" I asked, changing the subject. I loved it when people told their stories; maybe I'd like Ike's as well, no matter how much of a pain he was.

"Nope," he popped the 'P' for emphasis, "Gallia." He wiggled up out of the belt and crossed his legs on the bed, "what about you?"

"I've always lived here, but I would do anything to get out." I imagined Gallia as being a country place, with few cars, trucks, and traffic. I envied him so much now.

"What's Gallia like?" I asked, tilting my head to the side, I actually wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Dirt," he grumbled, lifting his pants leg and inspecting his wound, "Oh, and trees…" He winced touching the bandages, "…very tall trees, with pointy limbs that hurt when you fall into them…"

"Really, and—"I started but he cut me off.

"Fall wasn't the right word; it's really more like _crash_."

"What were you doing in the tree?" I asked. This might be an interesting story after all…

"Well…my buddies dared me first…Then I had to find a way to get the cow down…" He chuckled, nervously ruffling his dark hair, "then Mist discovered not only had I managed to get myself stuck, I had managed to get a cow in a tree…"

This _was _an interesting story. The man shouldn't be called a child; he should be called a freaking genus!

"Let's just say," He smirked, "A friend of mine owes me a lot of money…and I suppose it's worth the stitches…"

I was curious, blood usually made me squirmy but…

"How many stitches do you need?" I found myself asking.

"About six," he said, like it was nothing. When he said that, I automatically felt extremely fragile and vulnerable. I hated that _one_ thing about this job. I hated people getting hurt, which was unfortunate for me because I was working in a hospital.

"I have to go!" I said quickly, feeling quite nauseous.

"Zela, wait!"

I darted to the elevator and pulled the same act I did, but an hour ago, except this time…

"Not too fond of blood, huh?" A voice asked me from behind as the doors shut.

"Nuh-uh…"I mumbled putting my hand on my head.

"I'll be more careful next time…you're my favorite, I wouldn't want to scare you away."

"Mmm," I said in reply, "wait, huh?"

I turned around to meet those sapphire eyes again…

"Now I understand why I questioned taking the restraints off!" I pushed the '2' button hard, "IKE, GET BACK TO BED!" I yelled. I was really irritated now.

"What if I don't wanna!" he complained. I take back what I said about him being a genius.

"I've got two reasons," I said as the doors opened, then shut again on the first floor. "One," I grinned, "is that the patients are having fried mushroom tomorrow…"

I saw the look on his face and guessed that my hypothesis of him being a carnivore was correct.

"…and everyone else is having sandwiches. I'll get you food," I finished.

As the doors opened to the second floor, "And the second," I continued, "Is that I won't come back to see you tomorrow, if you don't get back to your room!"

"Okies!" He squeaked, grinning at me. He knew I was treating him like a child and he intended to get as much fun as possible out of this, "…but, Zela, my boo-boo hurts and I don't think I can walk."

_Well, if that's how he wants me to treat him…_

"It's okay, sweetie, but you have to try to walk, okay?"

He nodded in reply.

As we got into the room, he sat down on his bed. He used his normal voice again, "I'll stay here under one condition."

_What could it be now?_ I thought.

"You will call me sweetie again, right _honey_?"

_Does this guy ever honestly stop?_


	3. Chapter 3

I turned from him then, and stomped out the door.

"Zeeelllaaaa," he whined, "I'm _bored._"

I couldn't help it. I felt through my pockets for the candy for the children. This would be funny.

Turning quickly, I through a strawberry flavored lollipop at Ike's head. He amazingly caught it with a swift flick of his wrist, which had me a bit baffled.

"I really like grape better, but it's the thought that counts," he smirked, pulling the wrapper off, "what do I do with this anyway?"

I rolled my eyes, "throw it at the television, maybe you'll turn it on."

"Ah," he got the hint and grabbed the remote. I _finally_ had the chance to step out.

However, I didn't have peace for long.

As I rushed to the elevator, one of my "favorite" nurses stopped me.

"Zelda, can you go to the basement and make a few copies of this?" she handed me a patient's chart. "Also," she said, "I need you to take this to the O.R., and can you do that? Thank you, please." She handed me a stiff piece of paper.

I sighed, and shuffled past her into the elevator. _They always treat me as if I am four!_

I skimmed through the chart. I know it was not my place to be nosy, but I couldn't help it!

"Room number," I muttered, still skimming, "age, seventeen," I mumbled.

"Oh the irony!" I chuckled, placing Ike's medical orders facedown on the copier.

I'm not sure what drove me to do the following act, but I decided to look further into Ike's medical records.

_I wonder why he's stayed so long, they actually could've brought him straight in and they could've fixed his leg…_ my curiosity would be the end of me one day.

I studied the O.R. notice and wished I didn't.

Half of the tree was still in his leg!

I snapped my eyes shut. _I hate my curiosity. I hate my curiosity. I HATE MY CURIOSITY!_

Why did I have to make a stupid move like that?

I snagged the information off the copier, and slapped a new paper onto the glass.

_Wait, did…that was…was that an infusion notice?_

As the copy came off the printer, I stared at the title of the paper blankly.

_Infusion? For what?_

Let me tell you one thing about Delfino's infusion center before I get too far ahead of myself.

Our infusion center is unlike any infusion center that I have ever seen. Yes, we give infusion treatment to people with diseases and such, but our infusion center is also known for injecting our bodies with the sacred 'smash' and it was a one way trip straight to smash mansion. I actually used to work there, but after you hear the whir of their machines, and see the pain in those men's faces…

I guess you never want to remember.

I looked over the whole paper, front to back, looking for some sign that this wasn't going to be a smash infusion. Do you know what the paper said?

_Nothing._

The next day seemed harder. Ike seemed comatose due to all the medication they had given him, and stayed quiet for most of the day. _The one day I wouldn't mind talking._

I seemed empty today; it seemed though, that Ike _did_ matter more than those other patient's that I've seen.

_Why?_

I stared blankly at the new bandaging on his leg. They removed the remains of the tree branches last night, he must feel relieved. It just seemed so quiet today; I actually missed his impolite comments. Never thought that would happen!

"Zela?"

When I heard that, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I decided to spend my day here, even though I knew that I really shouldn't be here.

"Yeah?" I answered, a little uneasy.

"I have sumthin' for you," his speech was slurred. The doctor hit him good, didn't he?

"Yeah?"

"My mother dropped sumthin' off for me to cheer me up, but I'd like you to have it 'cause it isn't really my thing."

"O-okay."

"T'is over next to the sink," He smiled weakly as I turned my head.

It was the first time I had ever seen flowers since I was very small.

Orange daises, they seemed to be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I stared curiously at them, all tied up in their little bouquet.

Ike started to chuckle.

"What?" I asked turning to him.

"S'nothing," he smiled.

"_What?_" I whined.

"It's just, I've never seen you smile before, and I kinda like your smile." He blushed a bit, and then it was gone in an instant. He folded his arms across his chest.

"So do you like them?" he asked.

"Yes! Of course I do, flowers are so uncommon here," I whispered, fingering the silky petals.

"Then what's wrong?"

"Ike, I have a confession to make," I admitted, turning to face him again, "I know what they're going to do to you tomorrow morning."

"…and…" he pressed, waving me forward.

"Aren't you scared?"

"Nuh-uh," he gazed out of his window, "look at him, I want to be just like _them_."

I saw a midnight black motorcycle zipping down the highway. The man driving it was easy to identify, even if he was going down the road with a speed of sixty-five. I only caught a glimpse of the long blue cape whipping behind him as he disappeared out of sight around a bend.

"That's a high-class fighter, a hero." Ike said with great admiration.

_What was he doing here?_

"Maybe…you'll get to befriend him." I suggested

"_Befriend_," he scoffed, "If I'm lucky, I'll be able to fight along side him!"

_Fight. Why did he have to fight? Isn't that the purpose of Smash Bros. Inc, though?_

_Fighting..._


	4. Chapter 4

**Pheeww! Two chapters in one day**

I stayed with Ike all day. Regardless if I knew if I were caught, I would be fired.

_So what? If they hurt him, I would quit anyway. It's only volunteer work._

"Ike," I asked out of curiosity, "Do you know why that smasher was here?"

Ike smiled his amazing grin again, "Meeeeeee…" he answered happily.

"Ike...Ike," I never finished my thought, so I changed my question, "y-you don't _just _become a smasher do you?

"Nuh-uh," he said, still grinning, "I've been training since I was fourteen for tomorrow! Then I'll really get to learn! Zela, I'll be a hero!"

"R-right, a hero…"

"Zela, what's with all the stuttering? Is something wrong?"

"N-no."

The smile faded from his lips, his face grew serious. It frightened me horribly.

"There you go again! St-stut-stuttering. _Why_?"

"I-it's just…" I fumbled.

He lifted an eyebrow as I sighed; I was doing it _again_, wasn't I?

"I'm _afraid_," I finished.

"Of what?" He mocked playfully.

"Nothing. Never mind, it's unimportant."

I didn't want to tell him I was afraid. Afraid of him. Afraid of what he'll become…If I told him…

He might not do it…

…and, I didn't want that.

I think I turned too quickly. To avoid him seeing my watery eyes, I ran out of the room. I think I hit him with my braid. Oops.

He shouted my name, but despite that, I never turned around. I knew because of the leg and meds, he couldn't chase after me. I'm not sure if I was happy for that or not. I did want someone to comfort me.

I wanted _Ike_ to comfort me.

I decided to quit. Give up and quit. I never cried. _Never. _Why did Ike trigger all these emotions? Maybe it was because I took so much care of him, I had become attached.

Was that a good thing, or a bad thing?

Bad I suppose. Or else I wouldn't be holding back tears.

I turned in my resignation and uniform to the secretary that afternoon. I loved this job; I really did, especially in the last few days.

"Zelda, you're always welcome to come back anytime. You worked harder than all the rest. We'll all miss you here," Mrs. Ella smiled sweetly. I liked her the most; we talked a lot when she wasn't needed at the desk.

"I'll miss you too, thanks," I waved goodbye as I left for the elevator. I pushed the down arrow one final time as I headed for the basement. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach.

Was this really the end? I didn't want to leave Ike like this…

I soon found myself under _my_ tree again, daydreaming…

"_Zel!"_

"_Yes?"_

_The overjoyed teenager held a pure-blue puppy in his arms._

"_Look what followed me home!" he laughed, as the puppy licked his face._

"_He must've thought you were family," I giggled, "You two do look alike."_

"_Do not!"_

"_Do too!" I argued, "You both have blue hair and are both spastic!"_

"_Well, I suppose you're right." He agreed, "I guess I'm giving you my little brother, or cousin or something." _

"_You're giving it to me?" I asked, eyes going wide._

"_Of course, so even if I'm not here," he laughed quietly, "I guess it'll always remind you of me."_

"_What's his name?" I asked, stroking the puppy's ears. _

"_I haven't named it."_

"_Then I have a name for him. Let's name him—,"_

"Zela!"

I looked up to see the same teenage boy calling my name, muffled, through the glass of his room. He banged on the window, and shouted something I couldn't understand...

I took a quick glance at him, and then turned away.

_The tears are coming again…_

A gasp escaped from me as I ran all the way home. _Why was he doing this to me!_

_Ike,_ I scolded him in my mind, _leave me alone, and become a smasher! It's what you want…but please, stay away from me, stay far away!_

"_But why?" he asked._ I was hearing him in my mind! I must be going crazy…I was hearing what I wanted to hear…even though it would not happen.

…_because…_I answered, _smashers are scary, they fight so much, and they aren't normal…I don't want to see you as one, you're too…_

"Nice," I said aloud.

That was the full truth. I never wanted to see him like that. I've seen smashers before and they weren't kind, or funny, or gentle…they seemed mean, like a bully.

I didn't want to see my only friend as a bully…

I liked him too much…

Maybe it was a tad bit more…

I arrived at my home a bit early. I walked quietly to my room and sunk into my bed. It was still bright outside, so I shoved the pillow over my face.

I dreamed.

No, it was a nightmare.

"_Zelda!"_

_I nearly shot out of my skin when I heard my name. It boomed from out of nowhere! I was in the hospital and I was organizing the files. Papers were strewn everywhere!_

"_Hey, Zelda." The voice was hard and cold. I saw a pair of boots flip over my desk, then two familiar hands helped me pick up the scattered paperwork._

_I dared to look._

_I screamed. His eyes were a tad bit darker than they used to be and for pupils, there were slits!_

_When I looked away, I thought I had insulted him, so I averted my eyes away from his face._

_However, there was nothing familiar about him at all._

"_I-Ike, what did they do to you?"_

"_There you go again, stuttering!" He sounded like a snake. Each word seemed to be hissed. None of his comments sounded playful…_

_They sounded like threats._

"_I-Ike…what's wrong?"_

"_What's wrong with me?" he hissed, "I'm a smasher. There is nothing wrong with me. The real question is what's wrong with you?"_

_He tossed his stack of papers in his hand as far away as possible. Then he kicked the papers out of my hands._

"_Zelda, you should just shut up. Go away," he shooed me away like an insect._

"_Zelda, I hate—,"_

I blinked my eyes open; I didn't want to hear it. It wasn't true, right?

_It's just a horrible nightmare. _I rocked myself back and forth, "just a dream," I whispered.

I stayed up for the rest of the night. I didn't want to risk that dream again.

Tomorrow he would become a smasher, regardless if I wanted him to or not.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry I didn't update yesterday I went to a concert with my mom, TAKE THAT! It was fun and at the end I couldn't speak anymore cause of all the screaming, here's chappie 5!**

**Oh and you read Ixe like Ike but just say it like there's a ssss at the end**

I couldn't sleep at all. Why was this happening? I couldn't let him just become a monster. Well, I could, and I was, but…that isn't really the point. I wanted to be there with him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad; maybe Ike would be different from the other men who had become part of Smash Inc…

…_but what if he wasn't? _

What if Ike would become violent? What if he wouldn't like me anymore?

Ike was Ike though, right? He's my…best friend.

_Best friend. _Kinda weird, huh? I've only known him for only a few days, and yet I liked him so much. Actually, I liked him from as soon as he smiled at me in those first ten minutes…

I chuckled to myself as I got up from my bed. Was this my first crush? Crush seemed like such a silly word to use for my situation. It felt like I should be using…_squish_. Yes! Squish seemed like an accurate word to say what I was feeling. It wasn't hard, but it seemed…comfortable. Ike was my first squish.

I tried to hold back my giggles as I put on my dress for the day. I bet I am the first girl to actually refer to the word _squish_ as the same as liking someone…

I took three steps outside before finally inching back into the house. I'm not even sure if Ike is awake yet. I don't even think _Delfino's_ is awake yet! Three in the morning isn't really the most appropriate time to visit in my book. Is it in yours? I doubt it.

So…I sat in an old, well-used chair and waited for the sun. Hey, trust me, it wasn't easy. At about six o'clock, I couldn't take it anymore. I got a sheet of paper and a pen and I wrote in my curly handwriting, a note to my nanny saying where I was and when I'd be back. I knew Impa wouldn't mind at all.

Well, I knew I'd be answering a few questions after I wrote that I'd be back in the evening. Oh well…At least Ike wouldn't mind. I don't know why, but I felt happy knowing that.

"G'morning Zelda! You couldn't stay away, could you?" A cheerful voice welcomed me from the front desk as I walked through the sliding doors of the main entrance. The secretary was looking over her glasses with smiling eyes.

"Well," I said, "I'm actually here to visit someone. Would it be okay if I saw him…_now_?"

"_Now_?" She questioned, lifting an eyebrow, "well, who is _he_?"

"Um…" I mumbled, "…his name is…Ike…." I racked my brain for his last name, "Ike…_Ike_…Faire! Ike Faire." I quietly cheered in my mind that I actually remembered his last name.

"Sweetie, he's being discharged today; he should be out by one. Is this a necessary trip?"

"Yes! It's _very necessary_!" I emphasized.

"Okay then…" she mumbled, handing me a visitor's sticker, "…he should be in his room."

"Thank you!" I managed to get out as I stumbled towards the elevator.

Can you guess who "magically" was inside?

Somehow, I was surprised. I did not see that coming, but…well, Ike _was_ Ike.

"Which floor?" he muttered pushing the second floor button automatically.

"Two," I squeaked, as he lifted an eyebrow, noticing I wasn't in uniform. Then he smirked.

"You're _afraid _of _me_…," he noted leaning on a crutch. His smile got bigger, "…_but_ you came back anyway."

I stayed quiet. He hit me on the back of my leg with his crutch and let out a loud sigh. "You didn't even take the flowers…my little cousin ate one. So looks like you're not getting them all back unless you wanna wait for about three days…"

"Sorry…" I giggled; the mood in the elevator didn't feel so tense anymore. Ike had his ways of fixing things.

The elevator opened and Ike swung his arms over his crutches. "_Hate_ these things. _Hate these things_! Torture devices, not medical…" he wasn't really talking to me, he was talking to himself.

"You know what, Zela?" he muttered, "Hospitals _act_ like they care. What they really _want_ is for you to be sick…"

"Ha-ha." I muttered, holding back laughter.

"What's up with you not volunteering today?" He asked as he hobbled out of the elevator, "what happened?"

"I quit," I blurted out a smidge too fast.

"_Oh_," he mumbled looking at his feet. "Could you volunteer again? For me?"

"I'm not sure…"

We were just about to his room when a miniature Ike ran out into the hall.

"Who's she Ixe? Is that your _girlfriend_?" The boy circled us to the point of Ike hitting him on the back of the head with his free hand to stop him.

"That hurt! I'm tellin' your Mom…Ooooh…!" The kid noticed before Ike—or me, in this case—that Ike's hand happened to come around my shoulders. I flinched and he quickly drew away. "Calm down," he whispered, "I haven't even gotten the shot yet…"

"I thought it was an infusion."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, it still involves a needle…"

"Ixe is a little girl when it comes to needles." The mini Ike mocked, "You should've seen 'im when his Mom tried to hem his pants! It was hilarious! He scr—,"

"Shut up Zack!"

Zack crossed his eyes before running into the hospital room.

"Cute," I said as I tried to stifle my fit of giggles. "How old is he?"

"Six." Zack muttered.

"I'm _nine_!" The disembodied voice yelled.

"Dammit Zack, you'd better shu—,"

"Ike!"

"Oh, sorry…"

"I'm tellin', Griel!" Zack screamed.

"Fine."

Ike looked at me, "He'll tell my Dad. He wouldn't care at all…"

"When are you getting the infusion?" I asked.

"Eight, why?"

"Just curious."

"Hey Zelda?" Zack asked, looking up at me with those sapphire eyes, "if I die from smash poisoning…" He reached out and took my hand, "I want you to kill Zack for me."

"Ike!"

He chuckled. "Sorry, but you looked so forlorn about me getting an infusion. I'm not gonna die. I'll promise you that!"

"Sure, sure," I mumbled, "then after you become a smasher, you'll get sent on some weird mission and you'll end up alone somehow and do something stupid like running head first into like…two-hundred guys…with _guns_!"

"C'mon Zel. Like I'd do something that dumb," he laughed.

"You're right. It does seem a bit stupid. You do have more common sense than what people take you for, right?"

"Absolutely! Wait…what?"

Eight o'clock rolled by way too soon. I was actually having some fun with Ike. Now that they gave him crutches, he wanted to see the _whole_ hospital. It was probably an excuse to stay away from Zack. They acted so much alike, but I didn't want to tell Ike because there was obviously some "family rivalry" between the two.

"I'll be out in about an hour," he promised, "trust me, I won't be a monster, promise."

"Unless he passes out and gets hungry in his sleep." Zack chuckled.

This time Ike's father was there to hit him. He muttered a quick 'nice to meet you' before dragging his nephew away.

"They say if you get the infusion it heals you fast!" Ike said in a cheery tone, "They say I'll be off these crutches in about two hours after I get some…if you wanna do something…afterwards…"

"I don't know, I'm afraid of smashers…I'm not sure if it's in the best—,"

"Well you haven't met me as a smasher, have you?"

"No, I guess I haven't, but…"

"Great! I'll see you in an hour."

I sighed as I listened to the clicking of the crutches sink further down the hall. I _really_ hoped this would be okay, Ike is so fun loving. I really hope that that doesn't die when he becomes a smasher. Ike is no killer.

I wanted to be there for him, well I was, but I wanted to be closer…

"Griel is a dork."

Zack joined me in the waiting room. "I have honestly never heard a man swear that much, he mentioned that he was glad you weren't there. If you're curious though, he sweared about twelve times. I counted!"

"Why do you call your cousin Ixe and not Ike?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well," he said, "when I was little, I had a lisp, and I couldn't say 'Ike' so the name 'Ixe' stuck with me like leather on Captain Falcon.

I giggled, "You don't like Captain Falcon?"

"Not really, no." he muttered, "but Ixe is crazy. That's why he wants to fight alongside him. My best friend's oldest brother actually wants to _be_ him. I secretly think Captain Falcon is evil. _Evil_ I say! I bet he sneaks into little kids' rooms and _pokes their eyes_!"

"You have an interesting imagination." I laughed.

"You think I'm lying?" he questioned. "He's the _only_ smasher with those glowing white eyes that I've ever seen. If Ixe comes back with white eyes, I wouldn't be surprised. _I think_ he's_ evil _too_._"

I'm not sure if my false laughter was very convincing. I'm sure Zack noticed it was fake.

"You like him, don't you?"

"Yes…" I sighed, "…very much."

"I wouldn't worry nothing much'll happen to 'im, except…"

"Och,Och,Och,Och,Och,Och,Och!" I heard a very familiar voice from across the hall.

"…when the infusion begins to kick in…" he finished.

"This stuff _burns!_" I heard Ike yelp.

"Don't worry, yet again…they'll just…"the little Ike started.

"Wait! What are you gonna do with _that_ needle?!"

It was fairly quiet after that statement—no pun intended. I didn't hear a peep out of Ike until about three hours after the set time that he'd said he would meet me at.

"Sorry," He mumbled, rubbing his eye with his palm, "they freaked out a bit and injected me with something that made me _real_ tired…"

He actually looked kind of cute. Like a little kid waking up from a nap.

He took his hand away and grinned at me.

"I believe we have a date," he murmured sleepily.

Seeing him like this wasn't as bad as I thought. He didn't change much, like he did in my dream…actually he didn't change at all, but I was forgetting one thing about my dream that somewhat became reality. I glanced up at his face.

I think I let out a huge, relieved sigh…Ike noticed.

"You'll get used to 'em, right?" he turned his face down to show his two, sparkling yellow, "smash eyes" at me. No matter what they looked like, they were still_ his _eyes. That was all that really mattered.

I told him that I'd have no problem getting used to them, as long as I'd be able to see him. He agreed that he should be able to arrange that…

"The doctor said it doesn't stay for long, that it only changes when I'm in a mood to do my final smash and don't worry I'm not going home," he stated as we walked through the streets of Delfino. It was late afternoon and his grogginess had worn off—a bit.

"How come?"

"Smash Inc. technically owns me. As soon as I got the infusion, I belonged to them. I'm a smasher, a newbie. I know I'll move up though, Zela! I promise I will!"

"I have no doubt that you'll make a great smasher."

"Now…about the volunteer stuff…" he interrupted. " I know why you quit, and it's not the greatest excuse…"

"I know," I sighed, "It just didn't seem normal staying around…"

"Please," he groaned, "being normal is overrated."

"So what if I do volunteer? What happens then?" I questioned.

"I'll give you a surprise! Volunteer…late afternoons or evenings preferably!"

Where was he going with this? I knew he was hiding something behind that grin today…it looked far too innocent!

"Fine, I'll consider it." I muttered after fifteen seconds. He was really milking his new ability of "puppy dog eyes." I'll practice up; I'll get him one day.

"I'll hold ya to that."


	6. Chapter 6

_Squeak…squeak…squeak…squeak…_

Even though I've never seen Ike in uniform before, I could guess that the squeaking against the pavement was the same uniform boots that wears every single day…A.K.A. _Ike's _boots.

It still seemed to surprise me. That he managed to stay so kind to me…well, now that I think of it, he was actually _stronger_ now and he…um…did _threaten_ his brother, and he twisted Terra's arm back to where no arm should ever be, but…

Well, that doesn't really matter!

"I know it's you, Ike. If you're going to be a smasher, you need to work on—,"

Ike appeared to be quicker now too. Well, last time I did see him running he had a gash on his leg the size of Delfino itself. So, I suppose I cannot really judge, he might have always been this fast…

When I turned around, I crashed face first into the navy clad teenager. I didn't even see his face yet and somehow I _knew_ it was him!

"Hiya Zela!" He beamed, grin stretching from ear to ear. "Sorry, did I catch you off guard?"

"Y-yes! Although, it was easy to guess who you were after the squeaks…"

"Training was a pain today…" he looked down at his feet and frowned, but that was gone in less than a second and his frown was soon replaced with a large smirk, "but see I got a new cape! See, see, see?!"

He charged forward and crashed into me so all I _could_ see was his uniform! I don't know why, but I wanted to create a memory of this…I buried my nose into the tunic.

"You smell nice," I muttered, unaware of what I was saying until it was too late.

He chuckled and I noticed my mistake.

"Well, that was stupid, forget I said anything," I managed to whisper as I backed away. I clunked my fist gently on my skull as I made a face.

"For the record," he said; face turning red, "you smell nice too." He finished the last half of his sentence with a cracked voice. I giggled a bit; it seemed strange for a smasher to have a voice that still cracks. He _was_ seventeen though…but—

"Man," he hissed to himself, turning so his back faced me, "thought I was done with that…"

Yeah, what he said!

When he turned back to face me, there seemed to be a _very_ awkward pause…

This continued for two minutes. If we were in a contest for saying _absolutely nothing_ during a "conversation", we would totally win the gold!

"Soooo…" Ike mumbled after awhile, "Uh…did you volunteer yet?"

I couldn't believe that we've only been friends for what? A week? Two weeks? He was already nagging me!

"_Yes_ Ike! I _did_!" I sighed. He was being aggravating! Yeah, I didn't see him yesterday, and I didn't see much of him the day before, so you'd expect that I would've _missed_ him. I missed him up to the point of him getting annoying. Now I feel sad that I do not have a random object in my pocket to throw at his head.

"So when's your first day?" He inched forward on his toes. I never noticed how much taller he was than me until he got so close…

"Tomorrow, why?" I cocked my head to the side at his sudden curiosity. I mean, yeah, he's always been curious—if he wasn't how'd he ever _think_ of getting a cow into a tree, much less _managing_ it—but this seemed different. There was something in his tone that told me something was up.

"What time?" He asked, mimicking me by tilting his own head to the side. His bangs slanted off his face to expose those shiny-yellow puppy dog eyes. Apparently, he has still not forgotten that he has some control over my mental decisions now.

I rolled my eyes and said, "I start in the late afternoon and I'm done by dinner time."

"Like _late lunch_ afternoon, or _early snack_ after afternoon?" I was surprised that he was being _serious_!

"Do you always think about food?"

"An army runs on its stomach."

I snorted, "Are you the whole army?"

"Yes I am!" he laughed.

"Well, let's just say _early snack_ afternoon," I giggled, finding myself blush a bit. It's kinda weird. Well, Ike is my…_squish_? Yeah, that…but I have _never_ thought of anyone like this before…

"So it's like at three or something?"

"Y-yeah…why…?"

"Sweet! It's the same time as—," His sentence was quickly cut off as he looked away.

After a short pause he said, "I mean it's the same time as my…break. So I might not see you so much."

"Then why'd you say '_sweet'_?"

"Uh…" He took a few steps away from me, "smash is like a good 'ol rock to the head. Your brains do get knocked loose. Most guys who have gotten it have become quite stupid."

I flinched from an old fear, the one that Ike would become mental or something. _Maybe it happened_.

"Hey look over there!" he yelled suddenly pointing in a random direction, "It's Captain Falcon in a tutu!"

"Huh?"

"Worked with the guys down there," he muttered, gesturing behind him.

"Ah, so you're trying to—,"I started.

"Gotta go."

He ran so quickly, it was as if he was shot out of a cannon. Before I knew it, he was gone behind the corner.

"Leave," I mumbled to myself.

Unfortunately, he left me in the worst part of town that he could. I wanted Ike here more than anything. It was getting so dark now—that must've been why he ran off, he did need to get back to everyone else. I think I was lost; I wasn't paying much attention to where I was heading.

How do I get home?

I was left somewhere in the slums, but that's all that I knew. I was so scared.

"Captain Falcon in a tutu, that's definitely somethin' I'd like to see," the smooth voice from behind me was definitely not Ike. I spike of fear rushed through me. I closed my eyes tightly, and my muscles tensed as I heard him come closer.

"Don't worry, princess. I'm not gonna _hurt_ ya," the voice crooned.

I tensed tighter as I discovered that there was an enemy behind me and in the worst place ever too! I mean nobody could see me down here; it was dark enough to make out that we were two dark shapes and that's about it.

He sounded like he was alone, that was until I heard a gentle, feminine voice. I couldn't hear her steps, but I felt that at least with her with him, they couldn't hurt me much…but then again, I've heard _his_ voice before, and something pleasant wasn't expected to follow.

"You're scaring her sir."

"Good."

"You should go now, unless you want to take care of this. Oh, and Samus, don't call me 'sir' again we're co-workers. Friends too, okay?"

"Fine."

I heard her feet shuffle off as I opened my eyes.

"She's new to all this. C'mon princess. Now turn around for me."

I had a slight burst of courage and turned around quickly. Except, my courage faltered as soon as I noticed that he _was_ completely alone; that other girl was gone.

He had his hand out, palm up. This confused me. I studied the aquamarine- haired man cautiously.

"I see you've befriended a smasher easily," he muttered with a smirk.

"He isn't anything like what I'd heard! Smash _doesn't_ make you bloodthirsty!"

Marth shrugged, "only said that to protect Smash Inc. most precious interest, the princess of light, Zelda."

"Tell me now, is this going to hurt or not?" I folded my arms across my chest; my sudden increase in bravery was surprising, even to me.

"Did I bring Snake?" he asked curtly, rolling his eyes.

Snake was the serious one. At least, I _think_ he was the most serious, I have run into both of them before, and it wasn't exactly "nice." I knew what he meant by stating 'bringing Snake,' he meant that he didn't bring any muscle with him, either threaten me more or beat me up.

"So why are you here?"

"You should know better, Zelda." He briskly said. My name sounded so strange coming from him. "You know you're under constant surveillance. I just decided to stop by and say 'hi'"

"Sure you did, and _what else_?" I asked putting a hand on my hip—I probably might regret that move later.

"Meta Knight said you can't tell Ike about your _Princess-of-light-ie-ness_," he murmured, shrugging.

They know about Ike? So _soon_?

"Why?" I asked it's not as if it's a secret or something.

"The smasher low-class, Ike, is a smash employee now. So sorry, but only the master and others are on a need-to-know basis." It was _oh, so hard _to detect the sarcasm in his voice.

"Better get a move-on, girly. You should come with me and Samus or you'll get lost in a bad spot of town." Marth, being a worker, was hard to trust. I even had some trouble trusting _Ike_. I drew back slowly.

"I think I can find my own way," I muttered.

"Well good luck to ya. But don't come crying to us when you're dead." With a short wave, he left; and I was left standing in the dark.

No noise. Nothing.

I searched through the darkness to find somewhere safe. This wasn't the greatest part of town and I was definitely, definitely lost. I wanted to be somewhere safe, where I knew I could not be hurt. Where? Where?

I searched for hours until I finally found it, a haven. A safe place.

I opened the doors—they creaked so loudly! It was pitch black inside and the windows were cracked and chipped, I could see the outside just barely, and I could hear the muffled sounds of Delfino through the walls. For a church, it looked as if it has been abandoned. _Maybe it was…_

I sat on the church pew and curled into a small ball.

_At least I'm safe._ I thought quietly to myself. I would find my way out in the morning.

_Who knows? Maybe Ike will find me…_

I chuckled at my silly fantasy as I drifted into a calm, yet uneasy sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry I couldn't update yesterday, I had a school trip (If you're asking it was great!) and I'll try and update two today, maybe.**

The sun bothered my eyes, when I woke up I forgot shortly where I was…I was startled when I saw all the color around me. I never noticed in the pitch black of last night that this whole church, being in the most horrid place in Delfino, actually grew the most attractive, placid, and sweetest smelling things I have ever seen before. The most beautiful flowers that I have ever seen were sprouting right under my feet! I took a few steps back, until I was safely back on the broken floorboards. I felt a small twinge of guilt for crushing these precious beings.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" the same gentle, female voice I heard from last night came from the doors of the church. I flinched as I turned around to face the young woman. Judging from her appearance, _if_ she was older than I was, it definitely wasn't by much.

"Y-Yes," I said hesitantly. She seemed a lot kinder than Marth but…How did they find me so fast?

"Snake has had a lot of people keep an eye on you since you met Ike," she grumbled, giving a slight shrug. "You're lucky you found such a nice guy. They pretty much, in fact, are _truly_ stupid."

Ike did have his moments. I remember when—

"He's the first one I have ever seen do that before," she stated, turning her head away from me. It sparked my curiosity and I turned to face her even more, Ike was the last thing I'd expect to come out of a conversation with a bounty hunter. Especially her, I don't know why but I got…this pang of this strange feeling… I have never felt it ever before, so I can't _really_ explain it… Maybe it was because she worked so closely to the smashers…I don't know.

"Do what?" I asked, my curiosity growing each second.

"Like you didn't know what he's been doing…" She rolled her eyes as she flipped a strand of hair over her shoulder. Only until she looked up again, did she see the complete look of obliviousness on my face. "Oh, you don't know," she muttered. She glanced at the ceiling, "Ike's been sneaking off so silently; we don't know how he does it or where he goes but we only see him in public with _you_. He seems to be quite a…_phantom_ to us all. Disappearing and reappearing from out of nowhere!"

"He does have a talent for that," I noted to myself in a hushed voice. I had told Ike to work on his stealth, because he'd make noise _everywhere_ he went, but, now that I think of it, Ike had a way of showing up wherever I was…Maybe he was acting. Well, if he was, he had a really, _really_ great act.

"So you did know about it!" She scolded, turning into the mother discovering her daughter had been stealing cookies behind her back. She even poked a finger at me!

"N-not really!" I stuttered, "It wasn't really a _big_ topic in our conversation." I let my voice ooze with sarcasm. Even if I was being defensive, I did _not_ like to show it.

_Not one bit._

"Oh, well so-rry," she retorted, backing off. It made me feel slightly better that I could make a Turk feel like an equal to me. Although, I didn't like to make people feel bad…

Curse my 'happy-natured/ sweet kid' disposition!

"I-it's okay," I muttered. "My name's Zelda, who're you?" Whenever I introduced myself, I always kept my arms behind my back, I wanted to offer a hand to her, but I thought otherwise. She was, after all, a bounty hunter.

"Thought he called you Zela," she murmured blankly, inspecting her shoes. "You can call me Samus. _Everyone_ does these days." Looking back up, she smirked and gave a shrug. I finally understood that we were not very different after all.

"Is 'Samus' a nickname? Y'know, like Zela is?" I had to wonder about it. By the way she was acting; I suspected it _was_ a nickname. For what, though? I tried the possibilities in my head, and found none.

"It is…sort of ," she started, "my real name is a little bit longer and you can't get Samus out of it at all…At least Master hand can pronounce this one!" She said aloud, grimacing, obviously thinking of the many ways the master had tried to pronounce her old name, by my guess. I suppose he still acts like a child, in _many_ ways…

She frowned, "the company recruited me when I was still young. They got me from a different planet, I've already been called so many names, this one wasn't much of a difference to me…I like it, though, it sounds a lot prettier than my real name!"

We both chuckled. So we weren't that different after all! Her resiliency surprised me; she just sprung back from anything bad, I have _never_ been able to do that!

"I now see that I have to cut this short, Zelda. Marth sent me down here to see that you survived the night. I wasn't really supposed to be seen. Oh, and do you know that cell phone you rarely use?"

I raised an eyebrow. They even kept a watch in my _phone_?

"Yeah, that one," she continued. "Be expecting some phone calls. _Somebody_ got a company phone yesterday." She rolled her eyes again.

"He's such a dork," I heard her laugh quietly under her breath as she shook her head once, violently.

_But he is my dork. _I thought._ My technology-disadvantaged dork._

Getting out of the slums was easier than getting in. I easily found my way out of the maze of streets and one more alleyway, and I would be out! I could see the crowded streets ahead of me.

I skipped over the pipes left from the Smash Bros. Inc, taking a quick glance at the leaking Rainbow-colored substance. It's strange, it was such a beautiful sight, and yet it ripped my heart to shreds knowing what it was. I tried to think of thoughts that would numb me. I shook my head fiercely trying to get my intelligence away from me for once.

I quickly thought of it as I looked up and saw the sun. _Was it that late already? _I had to get to the hospital! I had no time to change my clothes…but I could _not_ show up like this! I had dirt crusted on my favorite purple dress, what would happen if people saw me like this?

I rushed home, hurrying as fast as I could. I ripped the door to my house open and flew to my bedroom.

"Did you have a date last night?" I heard my nanny call from another room. I didn't notice she was home, well… she was _always_ home at least that's how it _seemed_.

"Very funny," I laughed as I slipped a white dress over my head, this one was my second favorite. I had five. "No, it's the hospital again; I got a new schedule. I'm late too…I…got lost last night." I might as well tell the truth.

"I noticed."

"Aren't you mad?"

"No," she sighed, she was suddenly in my room with me, "I'm just glad you're safe."

"Thanks…Nan." I hugged her; she seemed so happy right then. I never really realized that somehow, I grew. I noticed I was a good head taller than she was.

"_You just grow up so fast!"_ She sniffled. She technically was like a mother to me; she did raise me after all.

"Go, go, you'll be late for work," She shooed, waving her hands this frantically. I slid on my brown boots as I walked out the door.

I had a swift pace going until I noticed it was getting later, and later. I started to run faster as I saw the hospital. Being late was so out of character for me. I always had a perfect attendance… I rammed face first into the glass doors. _Oh, I'm here. _I sighed in my head._ I feel so stupid..._

I walked into the cold lobby and made a sharp left turn into the volunteer room. I grabbed my name badge from the desk there; it seemed to be waiting patiently for me. Then, I took my old uniform off from the hanger in there and clipped the name badge on. _Here we go…_

I did as I was instructed to, taking _stuff_ to-and-from the lab. I was not all that bad, I had gloves, and it was usually for blood was why I went down there…_usually_.

I got bored in the middle of all it because there wasn't much to do but look at blood. Not fun. So I went back to my old desk, maybe the new volunteer needed some help…?

When I got there I was shocked, can you guess who was there?

Nobody.

I stared at the packets of papers neatly placed on the corner of the desk. There had to be at least fifty of them, the pile was huge! How could anyone work this fast?

I glanced down a box of paperclips, many of them twisted to be nothing more than bits of ragged wire. There were several "good" paperclips on the floor, I leaned down and picked them up.

There seemed to be millions of them and they seemed to be everywhere! I silenced the urge to yell, _'I did it!'_ when I shut the lid to the box and was sure there were no more paperclips anywhere.

My joints popped as I at last got the chance to stand. I stretched my arms as I walked from behind that old desk and back into the hallway.

Of course, I wasn't paying attention.

I was humming to myself as I rammed— certainly, face first. It just would _not_ be me if I didn't ram into something _face_ _first_—into another volunteer. I landed promptly on the floor.

"Lemmie help you." I could hear the smugness in his voice. I watched his knees bend as he knelt on the floor, facing me.

"You are such a klutz," he chuckled, offering a hand. I burst into laughter, why did I never see _this one_ coming? It was so _obvious_!

"Gosh Ike," I giggled, flicking at an unmoving spike of blue/purple hair, "_how much_ hair-gel did you _use_ this morning?"

"Only a little…" he mumbled, tilting his head to the side, unlike yesterday, not one, purple/blue-colored hair moved.

I couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "Ike, why didn't you tell me?" I asked, growing curious.

"Easy, I wanted to surprise you." His face was just as blank as ever. Is this an act or is he actually being this thickheaded?

"Isn't _that_ always the case with you…?" I sighed

He grinned like an idiot while helping me up.

"Wait," he ordered, sticking his hands out, "What are we talking about? The fact that I surprise you a lot or the fact that I used too much hair-gel this morning?"

After thinking it out for a while, I smiled and told him, both.

He laughed at me and I asked him how he got here.

This one was a good story. "The food _sucks_ there and I asked if I could spend my evening break hours here. They said _yes_, no questions asked. It's no fun leaving anymore…," he complained.

Well maybe it was not such a great story from his point of view, but it was from mine, it was great! He was going out of his way to come here, why else had he asked me to volunteer again? He did blame _food_ though—that was _always_ on his mind. Maybe I was just twisting things around to the way I wanted them to be…No. I was right. _Right_?

"Thanks for cleaning up my mess," he mumbled, his voice getting lower, "I don't like paperclips…"

I grinned up at him he looked so funny. I can only imagine _the fight_ he had earlier with the tiny objects concealed now in their paper box. He scowled at the little box.

_I went into a giggle fit._

"What's so funny?!" He asked in a hard yet questioning voice.

"Y-you-your face!" I gasped through my laughter. I saw the false insult on his face, and I stopped laughing. Still smiling, I corrected myself, "You know what I meant your expression! You looked like you wanted to _kill_ that box of paperclips!"

"Oh." That was all he said. Then he started laughing too.

"They let me work in the kitchen too," he mumbled, "the leftovers from today were good."

"Is that _seriously_ all you ever think about?" I asked.

"Yeah," He said, nodding. Then he added, "_Pretty much_."


	8. Chapter 8

_9:27 P.M._

I turned over onto my stomach and answered my cell.

"_Hello_…?" I grumbled.

"Hiya Zela! I just figured out to use voice commands!" Ike cheerful voice echoed from my receiver.

"Oh. Hi Ike."

"Hey, what're you up to?"

"Sleeping," I managed to mumble.

"This early?"

"_Mm_-_hmm_…"

"Oh, well—,"

"Let 'er sleep, Ike." A second muffled male voice came through, by the sound of it, he was annoyed.

"How do _you_ know that's what she's up to?" Ike accused.

"Ha." I could hear crashing and slamming, and then I heard something break…

"Ike, give that back!"

_Click_.

I laughed and put the phone on the charger and curled up into my sheets. I suppressed a large yawn as my head hit the pillow; at least he managed to call…

_12:43 A.M_

The phone rang again. I heard Impa turn over in bed from her room.

"Zelda, tell them to _stop calling_!" She yelled. I could picture her shaking a finger at me... I rolled my eyes at her and flipped the phone open.

"Heeeeeey," I recognized this voice as the other guy in the room with Ike from earlier.

"Who is this?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Sonic, of course…_who is this_?"

"Zela."

"Oh crap. Sorry…Ike YOU'RE NOT CALLIN'—,"

_Click_.

This was going to be a _long_ night. I put my phone on vibrate—just in case...

_2:57 A.M._

The phone buzzed on my dresser. I glanced at it, considering answering it. I got up and flipped it open anyway. Yawning, I grumbled through my greeting.

"Hiiiiiiyaaaa Zeelllllll…"

…

_Something was wrong. Very, very wrong_

"Ike," I muttered. "Give the phone to Sonic."

"'Kay…"

"Yo."

I ignored him, "what have you given him?"

"Uh…well…" he mumbled

"_Well_…?" I pried, tapping my foot. Gee, I was Miss Impatient tonight..._this morning, _really...

"He's…um…_drunk_."

I sighed, "Isn't he _underage_?" That was a rhetorical question, of course he was.

"Yeah… but he's very entertaining!"

I heard the phone being passed back to Ike.

"Wait, I'm not done with you—," But it was already too late, Ike already had the phone.

"Hi." He sounded like he was six…or even _younger_ maybe.

"Zel, did I ever tell you about the time I saw the biggest tree I ever saw in my life?"

"…No…" I answered cautiously.

"It was _big_! And it was a _tree_!"

I heard Sonic's hysterical laughing in the background. I rolled my eyes. He must've been drunk too, but obviously _not as bad_ as Ike…

"Sing your alphabet, Ike!"

_Oh heavens no…_

"A,B,C,D,E,H,I,Q,L,M,N,O,K…Q,B,G,R,S…SQUEWBE…OH GAAAAA!!" He said it all unexpectedly fast.

"See? _Entertaining_…" Sonic gasped through his laughter.

"Have you ever thought about the word banana? It's _weird_…"

"No I haven't, Ike…" I said, seriously.

"What would ya do if you were a banana ninja? Would you be afraid of cereal?"

"I don't really know…"

"'Nanner Ninjas…heh…" Ike thought he was _pretty_ funny tonight…or today...if you want to say it like that…

"I wanna sock puppet!" Ike sang, "He shall be my side-kick in battle! His name will be _SKSP! _Side-Kick-Sock-Puppet!"

"_Mmm_…" I mumbled, yawning. Ike and Sonic haven't really given me much time to sleep. I was so tired all of a sudden!

"Tired, Zel?" Ike asked. Well, you can't expect him to say my name correctly at this point…

"I'll let ya sleep now then," he mumbled, "'G night."

"Night Ike."

There was a long pause on the other side of the phone. _Oh no! Did he pass out?_

"Ike?" I asked, worried.

"_...Zela_..." He said slowly. I waited, listening carefully.

"I love you. 'G night"

Wait, did I hear him right? I could _not_ have heard him right…It must be the alcohol going to his brain or something…Yeah, that's it!

"Ike…?" I asked him again. Maybe he'd repeat himself…probably not.

"Remember, Bacon Man is watching you…"

_Click_.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry I couldn't update recently I've had A Lot OF THINGS that happened recently and YESSS! SCHOOL HOLIDAYS! So I could update more now. . .**

**Oh and you know earlier on before on chappie 6 the person Samus was with was Marth, well. . . I changed it, I changed it to Wolf. Just because I was running out of 'good characters', You'll see why. Remember READ & REVIEW!**

"Hey Zela!"

Ike came lunging forward out from behind his desk. He waved a hand at me, laughing.

"Y-you have got to see this!" he gasped through his laughter. "New guy comes in, only to discover the helmet is too small for his fat head! It has to be surgically removed now…"

I grinned up at Ike; nothing's seemed to have changed. He still has that _bizarre_ sense of humor…

He took me by my hand and led me down the hall towards a waiting room. It was so dark and empty in this one…it must have been an extra one for ICU or something like that. The light from the television flickered from the inside; the volume was just barely louder than muted.

As we passed the room, I saw nobody inside, maybe they were all with this "New Guy."

"Just a little bit further," Ike mumbled, loosening his grip.

Maybe this was my chance to ask, I could just ask him as if it was not a big deal…Well, it was a big deal…but I can act, really well now, thanks to Ike….

"Ike," I asked regretfully, "Do you remember the other night?"

"What happened the other night?" he questioned, letting go of my hand completely.

"You got drunk."

"Oh, that," he moaned, "I have no clue what happened…All I remember is spewing chunks all over that one dude…" He put his hand up to his forehead to reveal a faint pink line stretching from his upper jaw to his cheek. He noticed me staring and quickly covered it up with his hair again.

"_What_ _happened_?" I asked in a whisper.

"It's nothing," he sighed, "just a scratch."

"Ike let me see!" I groaned, touching his cheek.

"No. Don't touch it!"

I backed away slowly; he was scaring me! _Ike was acting so strangely…_

"I'm sorry, Zel. I didn't mean it like that; I just don't want anyone to touch it." He looked down at me and smirked, "_am I forgiven?_" He asked, using those puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah. You _are_."

He grinned. "So what was it that was bothering you about the other night?"

"Um, I was just wondering if you remembered anything…"

"Did I say something dumb?"

"_Banana ninjas_, large trees, Bacon Man, the inability to say your alphabet correctly…"

"Oh…crap." He hissed to himself, shaking his head.

"Did I say anything else?" He demanded.

"…No…" I muttered, "Just promise me you won't _ever_ get that drunk again!"

"…_No problem there…"_

I don't know why I didn't tell him that he said what he said, but I can't so I won't. It'll be my secret…

"Huh," I mumbled to myself as I glanced at Ike.

"What?" He asked. He turned now, fully facing me. His voice was always filled with that sudden curiosity; _I think that's what I liked most about him._

"It's just that your hair seems to grow fast, that's all."

He chuckled, in that small moment of time our hands found each other again. He grinned down at me and started laughing at my expression. It must've looked _really_ dumb...

"Aw, we missed it! His head's unstuck!"

Ike stomped off to sulk about missing his daily entertainment via Smash Inc. Soon, he would notice I was gone, but I wanted to see who this "New Guy" was. I peeked into the dark waiting room.

He was in normal clothing, a turquoise tunic, and blue pants. He must've changed his clothes at one point; _I would've changed my clothes too if I had my uniform stuck to my head all day…_

The second thing I noticed was that this guy looked _younger_ than me. He had a smile on his face too, even though he was rubbing his neck where the helmet was connected only but a few minutes ago. His shoulder-length, royal-blue hair was all messed upped. There was a kind aura about him and I automatically wanted to be friends with him.

He reminded me so much of Ike. Although…he seemed nothing like Ike. He seemed like he was…special…I'm not entirely sure if that's the _correct_ word for it.

"_You know you aren't invisible_…" He announced while his back was turned from me. He had a wide grin on his face when he turned around. "Hey," he greeted with a short wave.

"Hi." I said back to him. He was the _exact_ same as Ike, but nothing like him at all. _I wonder why that was…_

"So you came down here to laugh at the kid who got his head stuck in his own helmet?"

"No…" I mumbled, "I didn't…_Ike _did."

"So _he_ dragged you down here. Is he your boyfriend?"

"No, not really…but he is my _best friend_. I wouldn't trade him for three rupees." I said confidently.

He slung a large bag over his back. I could see the remnants of his helmet in it. "What if I gave you seven rupees?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"He'd be gone." I laughed.

"So you work here, huh?" He asked, shoving his hands into his pockets as I walked him towards or lobby; _everyone got lost here._

"Volunteer," I corrected, "but yes. I technically work here."

"Do you get free meals?" he asked, scratching his head.

"Ye—wait. Is that what all you guys think about?"

"I have a brain like my stomach, a bottomless pit," he announced clunking his head with his fist.

As the glass doors opened, I could feel the heat from outside come in and hit my face. "Later," he said, leaving me with a dorky salute.

It only occurred to me when I was five steps away from the lobby… _I never got his name._

When I looked for Ike afterwards, there were no traces of him. I checked the entire hospital…all except for one spot.

_Kitchen_.

Ike's eating habits always made me laugh. All I knew was that there was half a cake here this morning and there was no cake here now.

"You killed it," I said, to let my presence be known. Ike wasn't eating—_for once_—he seemed to be in deep thought. His head snapped up for a brief moment and snapped back down.

"Ike, are you okay?"

"I'm _not_," he mumbled, keeping his eyes down.

"Will you look at me?" I asked.

"I _can't_," he whispered.

"Why?"

There was a long silence and I was patient. He got up and walked away from me.

"I can't do this now," he said, more to himself than to me, "I'll call you tonight?"

"Yeah."

Why was he acting like this? I just know something's wrong!


	10. Chapter 10

**Hehe left you in a cliffhanger last chappie and sorry about not updating regularly, I've been busy the past few days. READ N REVIEW PLS!**

I found myself walking home alone again. It bothered me how Ike was acting so strangely nowadays. Did I say something wrong?

I went to bed earlier because I doubted that phone call would arrive any time soon. The sun was still up when I climbed under the sheets. I decided to check my voicemail to see if maybe somebody had called, like always. Somebody did, my hopes rose as I listened to the monotone voice coming from the phone.

YOU HAVE ONE SAVED VOICE MESSAGE. YOU HAVE TWO NEW VOICE MESSAGES.

FIRST VOICE MESSAGE:

"_Zela, I'm sorry…I just…um…sorry…this is Ike by the way… don't call me back. I'll call you… I promise."_

...

"_Um…I can't talk to you right now, but I wanted to let you know what's up…Don't call back. Bye."_

What was all that about? He didn't want me to call him anymore…? But why?

YOU HAVE ONE SAVED VOICE MESSAGE:

"_Hiya Zel. How ya doing? How bout I meet up with you after work today? I…"_

I clicked the phone shut. He sounded so much happier in my saved voicemail than what he did now.

_What did I do?_

I snuggled close to my blankets, I let my eyes and ears shut and block out whatever was troubling me. I tried to block outside life completely…My breathing slowed and I was soon in a deep sleep.

_Tap._

_Tap…_

_Tap._

_Crack._

The loud snap of my window startled me awake. It was pitch black outside; I couldn't see a single thing. I opened my window and looked out—it was a hopeless case though.

There was a rustling next to our gate and I stared into the blackness.

_He blended in very well._

"Zel…I need to talk with you!"

I stayed silent for a while, listening for my nanny...

"Zelda," she mumbled from her room, "what was that?"

"It…it's a bat!" I yelled my lie back to her, "he hit the window! I'll go check to see if he's okay!"

I rushed out of my room, quickly throwing on my favorite blue jacket as I opened the door.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked in a harsh whisper as I gently shut the door. I couldn't see his face and I could just barely make out his familiar outline…He seemed to have…changed.

"I need you to come with me," he ordered, taking my wrist with a firm grip. There was no gentleness at all to this hold…I was afraid again.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I really wanted to know! Ike seemed so strange lately and all I could do was wonder what's going on…

"You'll see," he mumbled, still not loosening his grasp, "You'll see very soon what's been bothering me."

I smiled up at him, even though I knew he couldn't see it really. "Ike, this must be really urgent. You broke my window to get to me." I said it trying to lighten the mood.

I listened to him hold back a laugh, "It's the strength of a smasher. S'pose I'm not used to it yet..."

"You know you could have called…" I said, poking an invisible finger at him.

This time he really did laugh, I never realized how much I missed that sound, "isn't the 'pebbles-at-the-window' thingy what all girls dream about?"

"Yeah, but…it seems like…your current mood…it doesn't seem…" I stumbled over my words, trying to find the correct ones.

"It's okay. I get it. I've been a jerk. In _more_ ways than one…I thought…you wanted me to do that someday. I got my chance to do that didn't I? "

He looked down at something next to his feet. Something glowing. I stared at the pipes leaking smash…They seemed so…pretty.

"Ike, where are you taking me?"

"You'll see."

This was just pointless! I already knew I was being lead through the slums; but why? If he was giving me no explanation, what was the point of asking him about it?

"What is up with all your fragmented sentences?" I asked angrily.

"Don't know," he mumbled. I heard him half shrug with his other arm.

I groaned. This really was pointless…

My wrist began to hurt. Ike had a rough clasp. This was the first time I had ever really seen him like this. It made me feel sad.

_Such a childish feeling._

I shook my head, getting the thoughts out. I can be strong about this. I _would_ be strong about this…

"Let go!" I demanded, pulling my hand—unsuccessfully—away. As soon as I said that, I felt his grasp falter. His hand fell down to mine but he never let go. "Now tell me where we're going or I'll… kick you so hard your ancestors will feel it!" I _was_ going to say _grandchildren_…but that depended on _where_ I kicked.

He chuckled a bit at my threat; he knew I'd do nothing. Or else he probably wouldn't hang out with me so much. He gave my fingertips a tight squeeze, dropped my hand, and took a few steps ahead of me.

"You need to trust me. I'm showing you something, and I want you to be surprised…It's better that way," he said, I could almost hear his smile, "…At least…I hope so."

I felt his hand bump mine. "Do you trust me?"

The question had several meanings; it was hard to answer at first. I took a moment to think it over and there seemed to be only one logical answer…

"Yeah. I do."

I smiled and took his hand. He was gentler when he took it.

"Watch your step!" He said, leading me behind him. "We're going up stairs."

I listened for him to take a step, and then I would take a step. Only when I heard the creaking of doors, did I have a cloudy idea of where I was.

"Ike…?" I began to ask, wearily.

"Be patient!" He ordered. I shut up.

"Close your eyes," he said in a more kinder tone. This time, it wasn't an order…he was asking.

I obeyed. I shut my eyes softly. Ike sighed.

"Now with your eyes shut, I want you to look at me."

"Ike, that's imposs—,"

"Try."

I tried to picture him in my head, I couldn't. It was just as hard the second time too!

"I can't!" I groaned.

"Look," he said, with a serious voice. "We can't do this unless you try! I know what you are, Zelda! I know what you're capable of!"

He took my hand in his, "can you do it now?"

"Y-yeah…I can."

"What do you see?"

Was that a rhetorical question? "…_you_…?"

"Okay!" he said in his normal chipper voice, "Now all ya gotta do is _open_ your eyes!"

…_okay… _I opened my eyes to see Ike. But…this wasn't my Ike…

Wait, how could I even see? It's like midnight outside. Was this all...just a dream?

_It must be the mood he's in. It caught up with me in my dreams! Ha…Ike doesn't even know where I live! Goes to show you that you shouldn't check your_ telephone _messages before bed…_


	11. Chapter 11

Hiya! This is daiyna.x

Liking the story so far? Well it's gonna get even better! I just need your help for the next chappie

Please please choose one of the following choices, happy voting!

**1. **Ike has to leave for a few months and Zelda can't help but chase after him (meaning zelda dresses up as a smasher and joins Smash Inc.)

**2.** Ike introduces his new friend Jane (made up character by moi) Zelda gets jealous and...

**3. **You decide the third one by either emailing me (on fanfiction) or reply to fic 'Volunteer'

Don't forget to reply! XD


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